Trainer Sam Kavanagh will attempt to bridge the gap between a Benchmark 95 at Rosehill and a Group 1 Spring campaign with his rising More Than Ready stayer Centre Pivot.
Kavanagh savoured the moment after Centre Pivot won the Hyland Race Colours Hcp (2000m) by a half-length. He came from well back to complete a hat-trick as the $1.65 favourite. “It’s been a tough week so it’s nice to have a horse like him. He will have another run in a fortnight or go straight for a spell.”
The stable will be hoping he replaces Sydney stakes winner Midsummer Sun who was put down after a training accident last week. “We have not got to the bottom of him yet. Now he’s won over 2000 metres we might look at the Parramatta Cup.”
Kavanagh will discuss extended plans with Gerry Harvey and Segenhoe Stud’s Kevin Maloney this week. “He will be nominated for the Caulfield Cup and start off in a race like the Naturalism. There’s a nice back-up if he doesn’t measure up during the spring – the Magic Millions Stayers Cup is now worth a million dollars.”
Centre Pivot (4g More Than Ready – Waterwise by Zabeel) is a younger half-brother to Harvey’s Group 3 mare Slow The Flow (Hussonet). Their NZ-bred dam Waterwise won twice up to a mile in Sydney and is from a gilt-edged family going back of Fitting.
Centre Pivot heads a strong crop of four year-olds by More Than Ready. The likes of solid city winners Antarctic Missile, Our Boy Nicholas, Northern Lyric, Golden Mane and Nite Rocker highlight his ability to sire long-term gallopers over and above precocious two year-olds.
War was a Group 3 winner from that year and he has just finished an initial book at Blue Gum Farm in Victoria. Another More Than Ready heading to stud is Brisbane stakes-winning sprinter Better Than Ready – he has been signed to stand by Lyndhurst Stud.
